Just Fine
by vamplight22
Summary: Gaara loves Neji. Neji loves Gaara. Gaara refuses to admit this. Neji's attempts to make him don't go as planned. Will they be able to survive this complicated love they share? Or will they break? AU rated T just to be safe. ENJOY!


Gaara glared at the paper in front of him. A lot was riding on this essay, and he was failing big time. Thing is, he wasn't as stressed about the paper as he was about one person. This one person who can make him feel so different, it wasn't fair to him.

Naruto Uzumaki made his way over to his best friend, wanting to say hi, but, noticing his furrowed eyebrows, and complete concentration on other things, he decided it was best to remain quiet for a while. At least… he tried to.

"Gaara~" He ended up whining. Gaara looked up with surprise visible in his eyes, it isn't everyday where he wouldn't notice someone's aura around him, especially Naruto's, his best friend.

"Mm." He decided to play this cool. Maybe he hadn't noticed his complete lack of concentration on anything around him.

"I've noticed you've been out of it lately." Well there goes that idea.

"What of it," he replied coolly. It was all he could do to lighten the embarrassment.

"Nothing really. Just figured you were thinking about someone special," a sly smile spread across the blondes face as he spoke. Gaara's glare intensified, but it was now directed at his friend. "Oh come, can't you take a joke?"

"No." Gaara deadpanned.

"Apparently…" Naruto mumbled under his breath, earning him another glare. He immediately put his arms up in surrender. "Alright, alright. But seriously, how long are you going to try and let it pass. You know it won't. Just talk to him."

Naruto was the only one who knew about Gaara's problem, this one person who has invaded the redheads mind and will not leave. It's been 6 months and the feelings are only getting stronger, and way more painful.

"You know I'm not the kind of person that… feels." He really wasn't. His mother is dead, his father hates him (then again, the man is also in prison…), his brother and sister don't know how to handle him, or how to open him up, and he was a complete hollow shell before he met Naruto two years ago. Two years of work and Naruto seemed to be opening up the emotionless redhead more.

But the one who reached further than anyone else in such a short time, was none other than the arrogant, beautiful, self-centered bastard-

"There you two losers are." -Neji Hyuuga. Speak of the devil…

"Hyuuga, what do you want?" Naruto turned to the young man, clearly annoyed.

"Sasuke is looking for you." At the mention of this boyfriend, Naruto's expression perked up immediately. He turned to Gaara with pleading eyes.

"Go." And he was gone.

"I owe you Gaara! I'll bring cookies tomorrow!" That was when Gaara's features turned a tad softer. Sucker for cookies. This did not go unnoticed by the Hyuuga who was staring at the small redhead, sitting at the table with a paper in front of him, pen on the side, and a large book next to him. He was in the middle of staring off into space when he snapped his attention to Neji.

"Is there something you need?" His voice held no emotion, but that was common for Gaara, or as most people believed. What they wouldn't see is the complete turmoil going inside Gaara at this moment, just because of Neji stand there. Just across the table. Too close. But… Neji wasn't really like everyone else, now was he?

"Oh nothing," his arrogant smirk appeared on his face. Gaara allowed a frown to grace his features, he needed to do something with his facial muscles since keeping his face expressionless was getting exhausting. All he wanted to do was hide behind something while blushing like Sakura around Sasuke.

"Then you can leave." Gaara ordered, but the sting that was usually present in his voice was absent, which caused Neji's smirk to grow.

"Or what? This is a public library." He had a point there.

"I really need to get back to this paper, so if you can please remove yourself, and your infuriating aura, right now, I can finish this."

"Why should I have to go for you to finish a paper? Am I that good looking that you can't even concentrate on a simple assignment?" Oh, he was good.

Gaara let out a growl and brought his attention back down to his paper, trying desperately to hide the blush creeping onto his face. Yeah, it's very hard to hide things from Neji.

"Just. Leave." Neji, of course, being Neji and all, did not. In fact, he came closer, moved around the table, and leaned down right next to Gaara, practically breathing into his ear, and looked over his paper.

"A history essay huh? You should be good at that Red, you are a genius. After me, of course." Red, or Little Red, was what some people called him. It actually started because of Neji, who, when first introduced, could never remember Gaara's name, so for a while, he was called Little Red, and ever since, the name just stuck.

Gaara held back a snort that was rising, preferring to keep his head down as the blush deepened. He felt the warm breath tickling his ear and neck, Neji's voice velvety and smooth, his hair falling perfectly right next to him. He was about to crack. He didn't even trust his own voice.

Just as Neji was coming in closer, Gaara stood abruptly, almost knocking the Hyuuga out with his head, and grabbed his things. Neji just watched the speedy action take place, mostly out of amusement, he knew what he was doing. He wasn't called a genius for nothing.

He watched the little redhead leave the library, practically running, with an amused grin. He really loved this kid. He couldn't help teasing him every so often. He wanted to break the boy. Not hurt him. But have him confess to him. He was getting tired of waiting for this kid to realize his feelings for him, and accept them. Not try to run from them.

He wanted Gaara. And bad.

For the next couple of days Gaara was completely ignoring Neji. Naruto would often get worried about and ask his friend what was going on, but Gaara would shrug him off easily. He even had Sasuke Uchiha, Neji's best friend, coming up to him and asking if he was alright. Sasuke and Gaara don't really talk much, but when they do, it's usually something short and quick. They have mutual understandings mostly. They relate because they're both Uke's in their relationship, as soon as Gaara actually gets one.

It wasn't until one day, in the middle of the second week, that Naruto and Sasuke confronted him. Sasuke had found out about his crush on the boys best friend, and he had no problem with it, mostly because he knew Neji wanted the redhead as well. But the news they had that day… wasn't the best.

"Neji got a girlfriend."

And Gaara's heart shattered. He actually felt like his heart fell into a million tiny pieces. Who's going to take the time to clean that up? Definitely not him.

"Good for him." Was actually said without any emotion whatsoever, he even had a small smile playing on his lips. But the tears forming were not missed by either lovers as they watched the small redhead grab his things and leave them in the empty school hall.

That night he didn't sleep. Not until his tears stopped overflowing and he passed out from exhaustion.

More than a month has passed, and Gaara still refuses any kind of contact with the pale-eyes boy. Any time he was with Sasuke and Naruto, and noticed Neji making his way toward them, he just walked off.

This time, Gaara was hidden in a small section of the library where no one ever visits. Or at least, no wants to visit. But this is the perfect spot for antisocial people, or those who want to, say, ignore someone for the rest of their life. That was good too.

Unfortunately for him, Neji always knows where Gaara is. It's like a sixth sense or something. He found Gaara huddled away in farthest part of the library, books laid out in front of him, his eyes drooping from staring at the book for too long, and another paper in front of him.

Neji made his way to the younger boy, who seemed to not notice his presence. For a couple weeks Gaara hasn't been getting enough sleep, making the bags under his eyes darker than the eyeliner he would usually wear. He made his way around the table as quietly as possible (which is pretty damn quiet considering he's a Hyuuga, and Hyuuga's never to any half-assed jobs), he glanced over the redheads shoulder, noticing another history paper, then noticed the poor boys head drooping as well.

A small smile reached his lips while watching this boy. He is just too cute! He decided now was the time to break the silence.

"You know you shouldn't sleep in the library," of course he said this in the most arrogant way possible. Gaara visibly jumped out of his seat and accidentally let out a squeak. The smaller boy spun around in his chair to face the taller with wide eyes; panic.

"What are you doing here?" He tried to sound as venomous as possible, but that wasn't working when his voice cracked slightly. The pain was coming back. Hard and fast.

"I'm here to see my favorite person," that was not a lie. If only Gaara believed him. He only felt like crying more.

"Don't lie to me bastard," Gaara growled back. He quickly stood and began the same motion as he had all those weeks ago, the last time Gaara and Neji were at the library together. Only this time, Neji grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Let go."

"No." Neji had lost his smile, or smirk, or grin, or whatever people assume is a smile, and replaced it with a blank, cold expression. Gaara attempted to pull his arm out of the strong grip, but it was too damn strong!

"What the fuck do you want?" Gaara practically yelled.

"I'm not lying." Gaara snarled at him.

"Yes, you are. Now, let. Go." He was ready to start biting if he didn't let go immediately. But the grip did not lessen, but tighten instead. "I said let go!"

"Gaara." Neji said, completely calm, which scared Gaara, especially since he had used his real name and not the nickname he usually called him. That actually stung quite a bit.

"What?" Gaara's voice was strained as he answered.

"If I let go, and you leave me here, I will never look, walk, talk your way again. All you have to do is walk out. And it'll all be over. You won't ever have to see me anymore."

That was like a knife ripping through him.

He didn't say anything. He didn't try to push away anymore. He just waited. He was lost in his own head. He wanted Neji so much, it hurt him so much. But the boy has a girlfriend now, one whom he loves. Why should Gaara be there to mess that up and just get hurt? Why should he have to suffer? He loved Neji. He truly loved him. But it was too late to tell him that. The least he could do was let him be happy.

Neji's grip lessened, then it was gone completely. The place where his hand was now felt cold. He didn't look up at the older boy, he didn't move for a while. He felt his eyes water. He wanted to break down crying.

Gaara quickly, without looking at the others direction, grabbed his things, and walked away. And that was when it really felt like the end.

xXxXxXx

Neji was graduating. Naruto and Sasuke came to see him. Gaara stayed in the back of the room, watching. The girl, Tenten, the one he has been dating for a couple months now, clung to his arm as they chatted happily with Naruto and Sasuke. She had graduated as well. They were all so happy. Even Rock Lee had found someone, the girl that was once obsessed with Sasuke had found love within those bushy eyebrows. Lee was a good person, he really loves her. And likes to show it. Everyone is happy.

Gaara, however, was back to how he was before Naruto changed him. Before Neji changed him. He back to the emotionless, cold loner he always was. He didn't know why he even tried to become something else. Something he isn't. Now that he thought about it, what was the point of it all? No one can ever love him. His father had said it many times. He's a monster, why would anyone want to be next to him? What person would want spend their life with a monster like him?

So he left. He went home, not wanting to be around these happy people, when he, himself, could not feel any of it. He knew he was being stupid, not congratulating this person he once called a friend on his big day, but ever since that day in the library, the two had not talked. Even Naruto slowly disappeared from his life. Everyone had.

But… he figured that was normal.

At home he lounged on the sofa with another essay to turn in before the end of school. Since graduates leave earlier, he, Naruto, and Sasuke were still with another three days of school. And this assignment was riding on a lot for him to pass History. Who can ever like this class?

He sighed as he looked through the book in front of him, attempting to make sense of what he was reading to put in better terms in his paper.

Kankuro walked by when he noticed his little brother sitting alone.

"Yo, Gaara," he called out. Said boy just gave him a blank stare. Almost two years ago that would have scared the older brother, but now, he was completely used to it. "Aren't you going to that graduation party everyone is headed too. Even Temari and I are going."

Temari and Kankuro don't go to his school. They were put into a private school because of their dad. He always loved them better. He was put in a regular school because he wasn't worth the money. Even in jail his father knows how to piss him off.

"Don't feel like going." Gaara answered in his monotone voice.

"You sure? It'll be lots of fun!~" Yeah, fun. Watching as every couple in the rooms makes out, even Temari with her precious Shikamaru, and Kankuro with Kiba, even his own siblings have their counterparts. But worst of all, he'd have to watch Tenten and Neji. That was something that he could not bear.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Kankuro was worried, which is unusual. He never cared much before about his brother. But he's been noticing small things about him from before, the way he would try to open to people, the way he would try show his feelings. He just doesn't know how. And now, he's back to being closed up completely. It hurt both him and Temari when that happened.

"Alright, we'll try to bring back some cake for you," the blank stare never wavered. "Or cookies, if you want."

Gaara leaned forward over his book, seeming to be reading something again. Kankuro sighed at his sad attempt at cheering the redhead up.

"… Chocolate chip…" a small voice was heard.

"You got it!" Kankuro didn't realize he was smiling like a goofball until Temari pointed it out to him at the door.

"Isn't Gaara coming?"

"Nope, he's too busy. You know how history class gets him all the time. He really wants to finish this assignment." Kankuro always tries to keep his sister from worrying too much about Gaara, she had enough things to worry about as it is. Ever since their father was sent to jail for physically abusing Gaara, of which Kankuro and Temari were never aware of, Temari has put in on herself to do whatever she can to help the family. Meaning she was working two jobs whenever she could while still going to school.

"Well, maybe I should stay and help him…"

"No, no. It'll just annoy him anyway. He told us to go on ahead and have, but we should bring him back some chocolate chip cookies," he smiled reassuringly at his sister, who still seemed dubious, but lightened up at the mention of cookies. Still his weakness.

Ever since it got out Gaara has a soft spot for cookies, Kankuro and Temari have used it to their advantage, and it actually turned out to be very interesting outcomes. And by interesting they mean, Gaara gets too cute when he wants cookies!

"Alright then. We're going Gaara! We'll be home soon!" She called into the house. There was a grunt in response. How did he pass English class?

"We'll bring cookies home too!" There was a pause.

"Thank you…" It was quiet, but still adorable to the siblings. They chuckled a little before they making their way to the celebration. Kankuro and Temari's graduation was in a week, since the private schools end later on, but it was still nice to be able to go someone else's celebration before their own, stuffy, pampered one. They hated their school…

Gaara let out a sigh when they left and leaned back on the couch. The only thing he was looking forward to that night were the cookies. After a few seconds he pushed his body back up to get back to work, looking over the book again. Tomorrow was no school, but he wanted this stupid assignment out of the way so he can actually enjoy tomorrow. He didn't know what he would do, but it was better than homework.

But before the young redhead knew it, he was drifting off. His eyes felt heavy, he was drowsy, and, for some strange reason, a single tear came out. Soon that was followed by more. He was silently letting the tears fall on their own as he laid on the couch, burying his face in the seat, and fell into a deep, dreamless, sleep.

Too bad he was soon woken up by the sound of the doorbell and constant knocking.

The redhead stood, albeit begrudgingly, and dragged himself to the door. He let out a yawn before he open the door, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, but froze immediately when he set his eyes on the person on the other side of the doorway.

"Neji…" The name escaped his lips before he can stop it. The panic came quickly, his mind screamed shut the door and run, but was stopped when Neji jammed in the doorway, and pushed it open himself, stepping in, and closing it behind him. Gaara stumbled back, completely terrified by the blank, cold expression Neji was giving. His eyes were hard, looking straight into his own wide ones. He doesn't say anything for a while, but when he does, Gaara wished he was under a rock.

"You've been crying."

Gaara had forgotten all about the tear fest that went on when his brother and sister left. His eyes were probably puffy and red, rimmed with the black outline of his bags from years of insomnia, dry streaks of tears covering his face, his hair sticking and standing in random places, his clothing completely ruffled, he looked like a mess. And Neji just had to be standing in front of him at this moment.

"No I wasn't," he tried for a lie, but nothing gets past a Hyuuga.

"Yeah, sure." He was being short with the boy. Gaara felt as if he wasn't even really looking at him, rather right into him. Right into his very soul.

"What do you want Hyuuga?" Neji seemed to stiffen up at that.

"Now we're on a last name bases? That doesn't seem right, seeing as how my name seemed to escape those very lips a little while ago. Little Red." He adds the last name as an afterthought, which hurt Gaara more than it should. The tears almost came out again. His vision blurred slightly though.

"Don't you dare call me that." He growled, glaring up at the Hyuuga with burning eyes, hoping he would just leave him alone. "Just leave. I don't have time for you."

He walked back to the sofa where his work lay forgotten. It was past eleven and he really wanted to finish this paper. But, alas, the pale-eyed recent graduate just followed the short tempered little redhead.

"I'll call you the name I came up for you. It's called freedom of speech." Gaara growled at the back of his throat. "And you're still doing that history stuff? That has to be your worst class huh?"

Neji let out a laugh, and Gaara wanted to melt. Now he really wished he was under a rock. He still loves this boy. And he wants to cry, knowing he can never be his.

"Just leave me alone, damn it!" He didn't need this. Why does this always happen? Why do people find it so great to torture him? His father, bullies, and now this? This thing called love? The very thing that is tattooed onto his forehead? Why? What had he done to deserve all of this torment?

"No." Neji simply replied, falling right next to Gaara on the comfortable sofa.

"Why?" Gaara chokes out, the tears resurfacing. He felt a warm hand caress his cheek, then turned his head to look right into the pale ones next to him. Neji cupped the small face, making sure the redhead, his redhead, was only looking at him.

"Because I love you, Gaara."

Said boys breath hitched, and the tears spilled. All of them came pouring out. He quickly covered his face with his hands, trying to pull away.

"Don't lie to me…" He sobbed in a broken voice. Neji let a small, sad smile take over, taking the small boy into his arms.

"I love you, Gaara."

The young boy struggled to get out of the grip, so afraid to lose control, so afraid to give in to his feelings, so afraid to get hurt again.

"You can't…"

"I do." Neji kissed the top of the red hair, taking in the strawberry smell of his shampoo. "It's okay, you can cry if you want to."

And he did. Everything cam rushing out. His body was shaking uncontrollably, years of holding back everything was finally taking its toll. He cried so hard, clinging onto Neji's shirt tightly, gasping for air. Two hours he cried. And Neji stayed with him. The whole time.

"I'm sorry." Neji whispered when Gaara finally seemed to have calmed down. The smaller boy looked up from the where his face was pressed to the chest, his eyes bloodshot, puffy, and wide, his cheeks flushed, his hair a mess, and his sea foam eyes glassed over. He is beautiful.

"Why?"

"I lied to you." Gaara stiffened in his embrace believing he was lying about loving him. When Neji tightened his grip on him though, he relaxed. "I lied to you about Tenten."

"What?" Now Gaara was confused. "No, Naruto and Sasuke lied about that."

Neji chuckled at the innocence the boy held. "I told them to tell you that. I was hoping to make you jealous, but, well, then you kinda, you know, left me."

Gaara was quiet. He blinked once, then twice, then…

"WHAT! WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO THAT!?" He exploded. Hitting, smacking, punching, anything he can do cause Neji as much pain as he felt for these past couple of months.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Though Neji repeated this a couple of times, he accepted the punches as a punishment for putting this beautiful creature through so much pain.

"You bastard! You knew I fucking loved you and you still did it and-" He was suddenly cut off when Neji grabbed both of his arms, stopping his beatings.

"What did you just say?" When he noticed the confusion in the sea foam eyes, he cleared it up a bit. "Did you just say… you love me?"

A deep blush adorned Gaara's whole face. He struggled against the hold, but, of course, Neji was stronger. He settled on just ducking his head, hiding himself behind his unruly red hair. The hair Neji loved so damn much.

"Gaara…?" The boy mumbled something under his breath, Neji strained his ears to hear.

"I said I love you! Now shut up bastard!" Gaara yelled, head still down. Neji felt his heart flutter with joy. It probably would have left him if he didn't swallow it down. He let go of the arms, which fell to Gaara's sides, he once again grabbed the beautiful, red face of his new lover, and planted a deep passionate kiss on them.

"I really love you Gaara. I truly, deeply love you," Neji whispered against the plump lips of Gaara. Said boy, on the other hand, was floating on air. He was so happy. Truly, truly happy. He felt the tears fall again, only this time from joy. He let out a small moan and started kissing back, moving his arms around the Hyuuga's neck.

"I love you too, Neji."

"Gaara, we're ho-" Kankuro stopped short when he entered the room, calling out for Gaara. He watched the two boys that were on the sofa, holding each other, their eyes wide with shock, Gaara's flushed face, everything made sense.

"Kankuro what's wro-" Same things happened with Temari at the that moment. This was awkward…

"Uh…" The two on the sofa let out, not knowing what to say in the situation. Kankuro and Temari sighed, before giving smile.

"Kids are such idiots these days." Temari giggled. Kankuro grinned widely at the annoyed expression on the two boys faces.

"You're the same age as me." Neji's eye twitched slightly. Gaara let his body hang on Neji's to get more comfortable, still watching his siblings with annoyance in his eyes. Kankuro grinned wider, pulling something from his coat pocket.

"Hey, Gaara, you want?" He lifted a bag of cookies over the smaller boys head as he tried to reach for them when he realized what they were: cookies!

Neji held Gaara's waist so he wouldn't from where he was kneeling on the sofa, while Gaara was stretching as far as he could go to get his precious cookies.

"Now, now Gaara, what do we say?" Kankuro was messing with him. Neji was intrigued. Temari was frowning at her brothers form of torture against his own brother. Even if it was completely adorable.

"Gimme!" Now that surprised everyone. Never had Gaara sounded like such a child before, even when he was a child.

"No, Gaara. You say 'please gimme big brother, Kankuro,'" no one believed he was going to-

"Please gimme bog brother Kankuro!" Gaara's eyes were glassy, some tears forming in the corner of his eyes, his faced puffed from crying too much, he was pouting without even knowing he was. Both Kankuro and Neji got an explosive nosebleed. Temari was squealing on the inside, she grabbed the cookies from Kankuro's frozen form and handed them to Gaara, petting his head gently as he ate them with joy.

On the other side of the room there was Neji and Kankuro, still bleeding from the nose, whispering quietly.

"I have pictures of Gaara no one has ever seen before outside of this house. Besides dad."

"Show me. Now."

"With pleasure." Kankuro and Neji had no trouble accepting each other. Gaara watched their backs in confusion. Then shrugged and bit into another sugary treat.

xXxXxXx

"Congrats guys!" Kankuro and Temari exclaimed when Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara walked through the door. It was another graduation party, but this time, it was them who graduated.

"Thanks!" Naruto grinned widely, Sasuke and Gaara nodded in appreciation. Gaara looked though the crowd, interested in finding only one person. The one person who he loved. The person who shared today with him as their anniversary day. The one and only; Neji Hyuuga.

Sais Hyuuga was leaning against a wall, watching his lover with soft eyes, a smirk on his arrogant face. How much loved that face.

"Hey love," he said before planting a kiss on his Little Red.

"Hey."

"Congrats on finally graduating." Neji grinned.

"Shut up." And he did, when they kissed again.

"By the way, happy anniversary."

"Same to you. I love you, Neji Hyuuga."

"I love you, Gaara Sabaku."

Everything was right in the world.

"Hey Gaara!" Naruto called out earning everybody's attention, which was a whole lot of people considering mostly ALL of their friends were there. "Did you know you're going to be in advanced history classes in college!"

There was a letter raised over Naruto's head explaining his place in the advanced history classes he will be taking at Konoha University, where his brother and sister are going, along with lover, Naruto, Sasuke, and pretty much everyone in the room.

Which suddenly got very quiet. Gaara's eye twitched.

Once.

Twice. Neji stepped back.

"_**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO!"**_

Everything was going to be just fine.

**X**

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**Hope you guys enjoyed this one! Took me a while to write. I'm trying to start up some of my other stories that have been just waiting to be updated… **

**I need to step on that…**

**Well anyway, I hope you liked this story!3**


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